Scarlett Johansson: Breastfeeding is ‘the best way to get back in shape’

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Scarlett Johansson agreed to be one of Barbara Walters’ Most Fascinating People of 2014. ScarJo actually sat down for an interview and everything! That surprises me. ScarJo plays her personal life pretty close to the vest, and by agreeing to a Barbara Walters interview, you’re agreeing to answer personal questions. I guess Scarlett was okay with talking about her big year – she gave birth to her first child, she secretly married her French dude in the middle of nowhere, and she managed to star in a few hit films. So what did Barbara want to know? How Scarlett lost the baby weight, obviously.

Breastfeeding is mutually beneficial—just ask Scarlett Johansson! The actress recently taped Barbara Walters’ annual 10 Most Fascinating People of 2014 special. It was Johansson’s first TV interview since giving birth to daughter Rose Dauriac on Sept. 4, and in it, she shared how she shed her post-pregnancy pounds. “[Breastfeeding is] the best way to get back in shape,” the 30-year-old Avengers: Age of Ultron star explained. “[I do] the whole bit. I’m nursing and I love it.”

Scarlett, who secretly married Romain Dauriac one month after Rose’s birth, described motherhood as “wonderful,” “very, very magical” and “exhausting.” So, is her bond with her little girl everything she imagined it would be? “The love is just unbelievable,” the Lucy actress said. “It’s very overwhelming.”

No word yet if Scarlett also talked about her wedding—but if she did, the conversation will undoubtedly appear in the annual special. The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2014 airs Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

This wasn’t the first time Johansson has talked about life after baby, however. The Dolce & Gabbana spokeswoman recently did an interview with Germany’s Gala magazine, and just last week, Johansson told Style.com that her workout routine hasn’t become “crazy-different” since welcoming a daughter. “It’s just about trying to find time to go to the gym,” the Nanny Diaries actress explained. “I do the same fitness routine as my big muscle-man trainer. A lot of it is endurance, stability, and strength training. I like to work up a sweat. I’ve tried Pilates and yoga and all that, and I like to dabble in different things, but I always come back to a good old-fashioned athletic, full-body workout.”

Johansson likes to exercise, but even she gets fitness fatigue. “Of course, like anyone, I have days when I don’t want to go,” she admitted. “Those are the days when you should go because then you stick to it. Once I get into a routine of going to the gym every day when I’m working, it’s easy for me to just keep going. It makes me feel good,” the actress continued. “But once I start to slack, it’s so hard to go back.”

[From E! News]

For some women, breastfeeding is the best way to take off the baby weight. For some women, it doesn’t really make a difference. Like, I think someone told Jessica Simpson that she would lose the baby weight by breastfeeding and she was startled to realize that it doesn’t happen in every case. As for the rest of it…is it weird that I never really think of Scarlett as being a crazy in-shape kind of person? I’m sure she works out, but she seems more like a “I’d rather eat real food and drink wine than go to the gym” kind of person.

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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86 Responses to “Scarlett Johansson: Breastfeeding is ‘the best way to get back in shape’”

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  1. Esmom says:

    I also never imagined her as such a fitness-focused kinda person either. But I guess pretty much everyone has to be in Hollywood. Nice to hear of her baby love and joy, so sweet.

    Breast feeding didn’t make a difference in losing baby weight for me either. It just took time and lots of working out for it to eventually all come off, not a quick process, even less so after my second. But she’s right that staying fit takes commitment, baby or no baby.

  2. Kara says:

    Yeah, she’s full of shit. Her body is beautiful, but it looks squishy, definitely not the body of a gym rat.

    • Jegede says:

      I’m honestly surprised she went back to her former shape quickly.

      Her endomorph appeared to me to be the kind that would struggle post pregnancy.

      Goes to show you never know

    • littlemissnaughty says:

      I have no idea what a gym-rat is supposed to look like but I know plenty of people who work out quite a bit and don’t look like athletes. Scarlett has always looked fit and in shape and has talked about working out before. This is not news.

      • Kara says:

        Ok then. Like I said, she is beautiful, but she has zero muscle tone. No one said anything about athletes but if you claim to work out regularly, yes, you should have some muscle tone, IMO.

      • Jay says:

        @Kara.. not necessarily. Some people work out a ton and have lots of muscle, but you just can’t see it because they also eat whatever they want.

      • littlemissnaughty says:

        What pictures are you looking at? She has muscle tone in her arms and legs but she’s not a skinny girl so she’d have to build quite a bit of muscle for that to show more. That’s pretty difficult for most women let alone those with her body type. A friend of mine has been doing the Tough Mudder for years and you’d never guess it looking at her. She’s super fit but you wouldn’t necessarily guess it from looking at her. And I mentioned athletes because I’m still not sure what a gym rat is supposed to look like.

      • Esmom says:

        Jay, agreed. So many people at my gym aren’t uber fit looking and I do think it comes from overeating. It took me years to realize that doing a tough workout really doesn’t mean you can eat everything in sight afterwards.

      • Kitten says:

        “So many people at my gym aren’t uber fit looking and I do think it comes from overeating. ”

        YES. I have friends who work out constantly and never lose weight or gain muscle tone. It’s annoying as hell but diet is as important if not more so than exercise regimen.

      • qwerty says:

        I’ve only ever seen her run and running (long distance, not sprint) does nothing to your muscle tone. So maybe that’s why

      • Bridget says:

        Qwerty, what? It may not build up the arms, but distance running by nature builds the legs and abs. And in case you’re going to bring it up, no distance runner *only* does long steady state low heart rate work – there’s still a lot of high intensity runs and intervals.

      • tealily says:

        Yeah, there are always photos of her running, and she absolutely looks toned to me!

  3. Lenn says:

    Breastfeeding may take some or even alot of weight off, but it doesn’t get you into shape. Only exercise can do that. Getting tired of these celebmoms claiming all theyve done is breastfed.

    • Granger says:

      YES! I was going to say the same thing. If she means breastfeeding helps get your uterus back “in shape,” then fine. But last time I checked, breastfeeding didn’t improve my cardiovascular health or strengthen my muscles.

  4. BendyWindy says:

    I must be the only woman in the world that didn’t lose the baby weight until I finished breastfeeding.

    • swack says:

      BendyWindy, I didn’t lose the baby weight until I finished breast feeding either. For some women it helps, others it doesn’t. I just wish everyone would stop saying it is the way to lose baby weight.

    • Stef Leppard says:

      I know plenty of women who carried an additional ten pounds while breast feeding. Every body is different.

      • Jess says:

        I was one who immediately lost another 10 pounds after I stopped nursing! I remember being so hungry the entire time I nursed, and constantly thirsty for water as if I’d never had it before.

      • Scarlet Vixen says:

        A nursing mother’s body usually holds onto a 10lb or so ‘reserve’ while she’s still breastfeeding. This is so that she can still provide nutrition if she gets sick, isn’t eating well, etc. I had always heard breastfeeding melts the weight right off, but with my first I couldn’t for the life of me lose that extra 8lbs, and I was in the military, so I NEEDED it to come off by 6mos post-partum. After beating myself up about if for months I finally learned that my body was purposely holding onto that little bit of extra weight. With all 3 of my babies I lost the first 40lbs within 2 months but never lost the last 8-10lbs until they weaned at 15-16mos old–once they weaned I lost the last bit (plus a little extra!) immediately.

    • Kip says:

      ^THIS. I find it so exhausting to listen to people claim this. I’m still struggling with losing the baby weight after stopping breastfeeding. I wasn’t able to really exercise hard until after I stopped breastfeeding. I think that people need to realise and respect the immense variability in the human body, and I find it annoying when celebrities perpetuate myths

      • Kara says:

        I hear a lot of smaller ladies claim that breastfeeding got them back to their pre pregnancy weight when I really think that even if they didn’t BF, they would have just as easily gotten back down. Some people are just lucky like that.

        In my experience, it’s never a woman who gained a lot of weight while pregnant, or someone who has struggled with their weight their entire life screaming: YUP! BREASTFEEDING!!! MAGIC!!!!! SKINNY AGAIN!!!!

    • Arlene says:

      I didn’t lose the baby weight until she went to college, so don’t fret 🙂

    • Bridget says:

      Don’t worry, you’re not the only one. Several factors go into losing that pregnancy weight – breastfeeding can actually cause some women to hoard fat to be able to feed the baby, as well as hormone fluctuations and stress and everyone’s favorite: lack of sleep, can all contribute to that weight sticking like it was sewn on. It sucks, but it also doesn’t last forever and the steady work and watching pf your diet *will* pay off.

  5. Ali says:

    Everybody knows the’re lying. They have a lot of time to spare and money for private trainers, chefs and home gyms. Also in Scarlett and Kunis cases their body is their work so they have to stay in shape. And it would be ok, but WHY they insist on lying about that? To seem relatable? Bad way.

  6. Lindy79 says:

    Ive had friends who’ve done both and had different results. Its all depending on so many factors. But yes, lets add another thing onto women to feel bad about. If you can’t/choose not to BF, not only are you harming your child then you are choosing to be fat. It’s different for every woman and every woman’s choice.
    In summary, shut up Scarlet.

    • Mary-Alice says:

      I didn’t breasfeed. I chose so and was and am perfectly happy about it. Had a great doctor and made an educated and well informed choice. What should stop is ghe influenciing women this way or that and the judging. As about weight, the lack of sleep and actual time to eat brought me back to where I was just 4 months down the road, then I got even skinnier than before getting pregnant. With all the help she gets, she couldn’t have the same experience, though.

      • minxx says:

        “educated and well informed”? Someone out there told you that formula is better for the baby? Or, more likely, you didn’t want your breasts to sag (btw, they don’t) or some other nonsense. In any case, stop with the “educated” and “well informed” choice – you didn’t want to breastfeed and that’s fine, but don’t pretend that not breastfeeding is a better (or equal) option for the baby. It’s not. That’s the truth and I don’t care if I sound judgmental about it.

      • Kip says:

        @minxx, that’s pretty harsh, and you sound angry even though you/we have no idea what Mary-Alice’s actually situation is.

      • mel says:

        Much like abortions, breastfeeding is a personal choice and some people just need to get off their frickin’ high horses.

      • Francesca says:

        Its tough to hear but true. Breastfeeding is always the right choice for the baby whether or not it is the right choice for you.

      • BendyWindy says:

        I’m going to call bullsh.t on that. I have three children. Two of whom were breastfed and one of whom was not. Why? Because in the interim, I started taking a medication that is not pregnancy and breastfeeding safe. So my third child got formula, because I needed my medication to function and mother all three of them. It was an educated choice, and it was best for us all…because having breastmilk, but a mother who can’t get up and change your diaper or hold you when you cry isn’t best for a baby. Breastmilk, formula, what matters is that a child is fed. And all that immunity/intelligence/etc. stuff evens out by the time kids are school aged anyway.

      • Jenna says:

        I disagree. I had a friend who REALLY struggled with milk production (despite doing everything their lactation consultants suggested) and the result was really miserable breastfeeding sessions and a lot of time spent feeling bad/guilty for not being able to do it correctly. With her first child, she was trying to BF (supplementing with formula) for *months* and it was pretty terrible. With the second baby she decided she’d give it a couple weeks, but that if it was a repeat of her first go-round she was just not going to put herself through that again. She wound up formula feeding and it was a good choice for her and the baby–she felt a lot less guilty b/c she didn’t have the constant reminder of her low milk production, she and the baby were both much better rested (and the second kid got sick less often…possibly b/c he had a calmer/less stressed caregiver?). While the superior nutrition of breast milk is a valid thing, there’s also a lot to be said for the influence of a mother’s mood and mental health on the baby’s health, and if difficulty or feelings of guilt over nursing are detrimental to mood/mental health, that can certainly negate some of the benefits of breast milk.

        I do think it’s probably worth trying to BF if you have the time/resources to do so (and that workplaces should be a lot more BF friendly about things like breaks for pumping, a lactation area, etc.), but if it just isn’t working for you, you aren’t obligated to go to superhuman lengths trying to make it happen. Formula does not immediately turn children into stupid/obese/sickly blobs.

      • Stef Leppard says:

        @jenna
        Unfortunately, supplementing with formula may have been part of the problem in terms of her low milk production.

      • rudy says:

        And then there are those of us who don’t breastfeed because our children are adopted. There is no choice. Formula or bust. And my girl is fine.

      • Mary-Alice says:

        Oh, please, minxx. I have heard so many like you over the years. Yes, I made a very well informed and educated choice which I am entitled to make. Not a promotion of the current trend but a truthful answer to all my questions. And no, no one has told me formula is better, where did you see it? Or you just need to twist people’s words to preach? I don’t care but many women feel extremely stressed by all the “right” ones. Oh, and my breast sagged during the pregnancy, so all your assumptions are wrong. Try again.

      • tealily says:

        What the heck, minxx? Just because you you do not agree with her decision does not mean that she was not educated or well-informed. You don’t know her reasons and it is her own choice to make.

  7. GreenBunny says:

    Yeah, breastfeeding burns a lot of calories and for some it does help you lose weight. But if you’ve ever breastfed, especially in the very beginning when you feed them every hour, you are STARVING! I mean up in the middle of the night because your stomach is so empty it hurts starving. And the pediatrician will tell you, you’re supposed to consume an extra 500 calories a day (which is what you burn BF), and the child needs those calories. So, breastfeeding is never supposed to be a diet.

  8. mkyarwood says:

    It’s not the best way to get back ‘in shape’, but if you stick to whole foods and exclusively breastfeed your body does shed most of the baby weight. 30 and under, that is. 30 and older, you hang onto that ‘last ten pounds’ forever.

    • Beckysuz says:

      Yup! Had my first at 24..bf and lost all the weight and more by two months postpartum, my second child at 33 was a different story..he’s seven months old and I still have a good 12lbs hanging around…breast feeding isn’t moving those pounds at all….I’m thinking I’ll lose them when I stop bf …until then my hubs is enjoying the extra junk in my trunk 🙂

  9. Amcn says:

    My weight fell off after number 1 from BF and I thought it would be the same with kid 2 but I had to actually work for it that time and it took twice as long. I don’t know too many new moms who actually have time or energy to get to the gym everyday but it is one of the hardships of celebrity I guess.

  10. scout says:

    I agree with “mutual benefit”, breast feeding is good for the baby and the mom in that order. If you can, you should do it.

  11. Mar says:

    Breast feeding burns a lot of calories. I had a c section and my milk just did not come out and I was full of fluids for a year and could not lose the weight. It took me almost 1.5 years to get back to normal. I know if I had nursed I would have gone down faster

    • Tulip says:

      It had the opposite effect on me. I breastfed for 18 months, I was a milking cow, and as long as I breastfed I didn’t lose a single pound.
      As soon as I stopped breastfeeding, the weight just dropped down like magic in a month. It felt like my body kept the storage because I was breastfeeding.

      I guess it depends on your body, your genes and your metabolism and how your own hormones react to breastfeeding, but, because of my experience, it’s annoying to hear this tale all the time.

      Having said that, I really like her more and more, I used to find her annoying years ago, but I love how she always manages to keep things private and I think she’s really pretty. I just don’t understand her taste in men, lol.

    • Mary-Alice says:

      No, I had a c-section too and didn’t breastfeed at all, by choice. I was back at my pre-pregnancy weight 4 months later.

  12. captain says:

    I do not accept this attitude at all. I am sick and tired of seeing photos of new mothers and the only thing, the MOST IMPORTANT thing is what her body looks like. Is she thin? Wow, well done, beautiful. Has she more weight than before? Wow, the president himself will laugh about her. Nothing is more important in our society as NOT TO BE FAT. Better no kids at all, better no extra time with the ones you have, if you miss the gym because of it, better to cook for yourself separately from your family. The time a young mother spends hating her body, trying to force it into some stupid “shape” that is all made up, she loses the opportunity to spend this magical time on her family and on herself.
    I am about to appeal for Fat Pride Parade, just to stop this craziness already.
    The purpose of breastfeeding is to feed the newborn baby. It has nothing to do with the shape and vanity of baby’s mother. When you breastfeed, your hormonal balance is going crazy, it is impossible to predict, what your body is going to look like. Some women lose weight, some don’t, many gain weight. And it is not through eating too much, but because it is what their body needs to be like at the moment.
    The most important thing, you remain healthy and your baby is healthy. You just accept that the hormons will get back to normal after the breastfeeding is over, and then you can experiment with your looks if you want to.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Agree, it’s really sick. Pregnancy changes your body and it shouldn’t be a competition to see how fast you can get it “hot” again. It should be about your health and the baby’s health, and adjusting and enjoying. Our society needs to be slapped sometimes.

      • Mary-Alice says:

        It does change the body. I always wonder how no one ever shares their hemorrhoids experience or leakage problems, etc. It all creates a false image and just feels terrible if you happen to have any of the “secret” post-pregnancy problems, like me. I did lose the weight but I am left with many other consequences which are not going away on their own or easily, without surgery. Still, I would not change a bit, having my son now! But I wish all these celebrities were not oh so perfect.

    • captain says:

      Just want to add ))), can’t stop )) Tell the new mother, how glowing she looks, what a beautiful motherly softness she’s got, what a wonderful baby she has, what a great marriage and amazing husband (if it is the truth). Ask her what it can do now, if she wants to send them to some toddler groups, would it grow bi-lingual, what does she think in terms of education and moral values, how she is going to go about these. For God’s sake.

      I think Kaiser was hinting at this as well ))

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        Yes, it’s so shallow to focus on thinness when you just made this amazing little creature with so much to learn and share. Pathetic.

      • ElasticBean says:

        Thank you captain!

        I wanted to add that too. I’ve got a friend who is pregnant currently and differs from depression and low self esteem. She is finding it really hard to reconcile that she is not “glowing” and her life isn’t perfect.

        I agree it’s ridiculous that we get so focused on the weight issue. It’s really damaging. Instead we should celebrate that she is able to successfully breastfed and that her baby is happy and healthy. So many women struggle with fertility, breastfeeding and we should celebrate when Things go right.

    • happymama says:

      Well said. Thanks for putting that out there.

  13. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I don’t find her “fascinating” at all. Barbara Walters should hang it up.

    • Ethelreda says:

      Plus, other than giving birth – along with millions of other women – what exactly has she done this year to make her so ‘fascinating’?

  14. minxx says:

    Breastfeeding really worked for me with the second baby – I lost all the pregnancy pounds and more very quickly. However, it has to be stressed that you need to breastfeed exclusively and on demand, no formula/bottles added, otherwise it doesn’t work (as it happened with my first baby).

    • Kip says:

      I have to say this kind of “I know best” attitude really annoys me. That was your experience. Other people have different experiences. In my experience, on demand feeding led to serious sleep and digestion problems for my child that were sorted by a schedule. Do I think you should have scheduled your child’s feedings? No. Probably you think the idea of schedules is a blasphemous, horrible, offensive idea. That’s fine, but they saved us. Same logic in re bottles.

    • happymama says:

      I agree, minxx. I lost the weight very quickly three times. I exclusively breastfed on demand and it was a lot of work. I didn’t breastfeed to lose weight, it was just a side effect of feeding my child naturally. I also ate very healthy too.

  15. Barrett says:

    Well it sounds like in addition to BF, she never gave up a somewhat intense routine w a trainer. She has more options to always keep it a certain level bc she has access to better trainers w her wealth. I do like her bc she does appear to have normal eating habits. She has been blessed w that curvy figure and I remember pictures of her with a normal amount of cellulite. I don’t body shame her. It made me feel like as gorgeous as she is, she is a normal woman.

  16. Yuyka33 says:

    She looks more and more like Debbie Mazar.

  17. INeedANap says:

    What’s especially odd to me is that normally, ScarJo is pretty good about calling out interviewers for these kinds of questions. She snapped back when her Marvel costars were asked about their characters’ development, and she was asked how many layers of Spanx she wore under her costume. Ugh.

  18. So says:

    I respect her more now for not selling wedding/baby pics to the media. She looks amazing here. I am warming up to her more.

  19. cat says:

    Totally agree, so glad it worked for me too! I exclusively breastfed for 6 months and baby weight was gone by month 2, now as my baby just turned 1, I weigh 10 lbs less than before getting pregnant. Who knew!

  20. Beckysuz says:

    I’m really loving her eye makeup here…of course I like a strong eye look…my eyelid shape can handle a lot of product without looking garish so I pile it on..

  21. umilatte says:

    It doesn’t drive me crazy if people are happy that they can lose weight from breastfeeding. However, it makes me feel like a failure that I couldn’t. I’m in my 20’s and was 5’6″ 108 pounds when I gave birth. I had trouble the whole freaking time while my friend was glowing like the sun. She kept hounding me about breastfeeding and I just wanted her to shut up. I wasn’t producing very much milk and *gasp* fed Harley formula. Guess what? She’s doing fine. My mom couldn’t breastfeed either. I don’t know what it is about Hollywood, but every time I see these gorgeous women talking about how easy birth or feeding is….I begin to wonder why the hell I’m such a crummy mom. 🙁 I seriously had crazy thoughts during and after pregnancy due to raging hormones and throwing up constantly. Scarlett looks beautiful. I’m not going to judge her too harshly for talking about breastfeeding since she’s just talking about how it helped with her weight, rather than forcing it down the reader’s throat. She looks very skinny.

  22. Claudia says:

    Whenever I see Johansen’s face now all I can think of is her support for that apartheid company, Sodastream. She’s will forever be a loser after that as far as I’m concerned.

    • So says:

      haha, I know what you mean. I mean leaving a charity to earn illegal profit, talk about bad Karma. I was really disappointed she acted so greedy.

  23. Marianne says:

    I keep getting annoyed everytime I hear another star claim that their weight loss was all because of breastfeeding. I have no doubts that it does help, but they also have access to chefs who can make them healthy meals, and they have access to nannies who can watch the babies as they use a treadmill or whatever. Plus, it also helps if you were working out/eating healthy while you were pregnant too.

  24. Lauraq says:

    “I’d rather eat real food and drink wine than go to the gym”

    I’d rather eat real food and drink wine AND go to the gym.